SSCP Management of the 12 area directors we employ under Applebee ’ s , eight of them started out as hourly team members . These people , who have walked into a restaurant and filled out a paper application form to be a server , bartender , or cook , are now responsible for running segments of the business doing between $ 20 million and $ 30 million in revenue . In this day and age , our industry offers people so many opportunities to grow if they have the passion , work ethic and commitment to the work and the people they impact every day .
“ This is a message that we ’ re always keen to share , as unfortunately our industry has been in a constant state of change since Covid . It ’ s been a really tough staffing environment , which is slowly getting better , but still isn ’ t ideal . We have seen the costs of our ingredients hit the roof as well , which has been an additional challenge to keep us all on our toes . However , at the same time , challenging is fun right ? We love to fix problems and figure out solutions that enable us to continue taking care of our customers and employees in the ways for which we ’ re known .
“ Luckily , we have no issues when it comes to retaining our employees , and
their impressive tenure is testament to this ,” he explains . “ We offer leadership training to encourage the personal growth of our team members . Last year we sent a large number of our office staff on a program , which gave them an opportunity to further develop their time-management , organization , and communication skills . It sounds like basic stuff , but it ’ s always good to touch base and refresh . Around 100 of our folks went to those workshops , as well as some other more specialized programs .
“ I myself have recently graduated from a year-long executive leadership training course from Stagen , where I was in a group with 20 other CEOs and residents ,” Chris concludes . “ It really speaks for how we are all striving to better ourselves every day , and I am excited to be a part of an organization that invests in itself , its people and its future growth . Just last year , we acquired 12 additional Applebee ’ s in Virginia , and we ’ re aiming to be a $ 2 billion revenue enterprise from our restaurant brands and real estate in five years ’ time .” ■
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